Pokemon: Ethiah
by ArtificerShempi
Summary: A more serious take on the Pokemon franchise. Yadda yadda legal stuff. Chapter 2 might be a little jankie, I was sick during. I've written a total of 7 chapters, not including the prologue, If people want more I'll be happy to post the rest.


Prologue

Graduation, not as special as it should be. Only 197 people are graduating, out of the once 800 seniors in my all male school. The war had just ended… terribly, all those poor souls. Many of my friends and family had enlisted, none returned. After the memorial video had finished everyone was silent, I cried as I remembered my friend, one of those tricked with empty enlistment promises. We were dismissed without being called up for our diplomas; I guess they didn't want to interrupt the silence. They simply told us our diplomas would be mailed to us, and to please be safe and to go home. Everyone got up, and slowly dragged themselves to the exits, myself included. The halls, they should be crowded as I left, everyone should be happy, families cheering, fathers proud. Instead widowed mothers are working; depressed students are alone in cap and gown, and fathers… fathers seemed extinct. Six weeks passed, some troops returned, my dead friends father returned to bad news, his son followed in his footsteps and paid the ultimate price. I should be sad, but I'm not, I've coped with it already, nothing I can do now. Several months had passed; my mom began to work less and less hours as she no longer needed to. I walked outside, smiled at my neighbors Growlithe. I opened our mail box, shocked to see a thick envelope. I opened it, and was surprised to see a DVD case with the National Pokémon League insignia on it, the league had ended when the war broke out 13 years ago, so anyone would have been surprised at this sight. I opened the DVD and excitedly put it in the player, pushed play and watched in excitement.

"Hello! I am Professor Milo Mathers, the war is a thing of the past and our youth has suffered greatly because of it. In an effort to boost morale, several investors have made it possible to reinstitute the Pokémon League. You are invited to participate in the New Pokémon League Challenge. We only ask that you supply your own transportation to the Kanto region, the first stop in a journey that will take you all over the globe. You will be provided with adventuring supplies and a random Pokémon upon arrival with a valid Identification card. Please arrive in Kanto by March 18th, we will provide hotel accommodations for free for up to one week should you arrive early. Thank you and be safe."

Chapter 1: Grateful

I don't normally wake up this early. Maybe it's because today is different than any other day. Today Is March 16th, the day I start my journey. I need to be at the airport, my plane leaves in three hours. Ever since I graduated I've been sleeping in daily, waking up in the p.m. I feel lucky, I'm about to participate in the reinstitution of Pokémon League Challenge. My mom, widowed because of the war, has been working overtime to save up enough money to send me to Kanto to begin my journey. Air travel has become incredibly expensive; nearly all the commercial airliners had been converted for the war effort, only a few remained and as a result the cost rose. She left my ticket on the counter, as well as a pre-paid card for a cab which she called to pick me up in an hour. She's done so much for me; I only wish she could have been here to see me off. I'm 19 now, I need to get over it, and I knew she wouldn't be around forever, but it's a lot different when the day comes. The cab honked twice, I choked back my tears, and I was still in my pajamas, trapped in thought I completely lost track of time, I only had enough time to grab my bag, wallet and the things on the counter before the cab honked more angrily. No time to change, it doesn't matter I guess, I locked the door and left. Goodbye home.

I entered the cab; the on-board computer asked me to impute my destination. I did. The car began to move slowly, as if the automated driver knew I wanted to take one final look at my former home. Without warning the cab jerked as it accelerated rapidly to the allotted speed limit, before I knew it I was on the freeway. Empty and deserted, everyone is at work at the factories or home with nothing to look forward too. About twenty minutes passed before I began to see other cars, I could tell we were in the more wealthy part Southern California, the corporate part, where all the educated business men worked. I arrived at the airport, swiped my card, and signed the touch-screen of the computer, a confirmation chime was given and the door unlocked as the automated voice wished me a good day. I entered the airport expecting a long walk to my gate, since only seven gates where open they were relatively close to each other and close to the only entrance that was open. I sighed in relief; I don't need to walk very far in these loafers and pajamas, my ankles where already killing me from the lack of support. The gate greeter, a beautiful woman, asked for my boarding pass and smiled as she told me how lucky I was, she knew that I was entering the Pokémon League, which made me feel just a tad bit more special. I walked onto the plane, it was nearly full, I looked at my boarding pass for my seat number and looked for my seat, luckily my seat was right next a young woman, of course she was my age I thought, she smiled as I sat down. She introduced herself and jokingly commented on my choice of attire. Her name was Samantha, we talked for most of the flight, we where both tired and we agreed to fall asleep. Funny thing is none of us mentioned the Pokémon League. The planes seatbelt light turned on and chimed, I awoke, and woke up Samantha as the plane was preparing to land. We landed; I grabbed my backpack and looked in the overhead expecting to help Samantha with her belongings, none to be found. I asked her if she had any luggage and if could help. She simply said she had no need for luggage where she was going. I assumed she was talking about the Pokémon League as the outdoor adventuring required you to pack light. We walked off the plane; she was walking slowly so I slowed down to stay with her. I asked her if she wanted to share a cab, she replied in shock "You're going to Kuchiba too?" I stayed silent, afraid to reply. "No" I mumbled "I'm going to Pokémon League Headquarters in Sekiei. Aren't you?" she replied "No, I'm going to Kuchiba, the Ferry there will take me to Asagi, and from there I'm going to the Kogane Hospital" I was amazed she shared that much information with me. We were both silent after that, her eyes filled with tears as she muttered "I have… well, cancer… terminal cancer, the Johto Medical Association is paying to study my illness with the hopes of treating others who have its early stages"

"I have about 6 months… maybe less"

Chapter 2: A Start

It is March 18th. I've been staying in a hotel near a construction zone for a new town called Masara. I've been very lonely for the past day; the hotel is filled with lucky people like me, all round my general age, people I should be socializing with. But the idea of Samantha lingers in my mind, a face I'll never forget, I pray that I'll be able the see her before she's gone for good. I guess I'll take a shower before I leave for the Lab. I dressed in athletic shorts and a light shirt, it was slightly cold outside but they said they would provide us with proper outdoor clothing when the time came; I wanted to wear something light that required minimal effort when it came time to change.

Time sure went by slowly; I cleaned several times, I tried calling my mom but no answer and even went to the hotel gym to pass the time, when the hour did arrive, I was already exhausted from boredom. I left my room and signed out of the hotel as did the others, while others ordered for cabs or waited for the shuttle I simply walked. Over the past day I've walked around and knew where the lab was located, it wasn't very far. This part of Kanto seemed like it wasn't very industrial, the air smelled nice, houses looked very traditional with lots of open fields, the farming part of Japan I thought. I passed the Masara town construction area; the only building that seemed relatively finished was large and rectangular, nothing fancy, just a shell, no paint or windows installed yet, plastic tarps covering the entries and exits. I quickly arrived at Sekiei, a large city before Sekiei Plateau, before Champion Road. The city was very bland, I always thought Japan was very technological, and for the most part it was, I guess Kanto remained traditional.

I could see a line forming outside of a white and red building, iconic pokeball colors, I knew that was where I was supposed to go. I made line, could count maybe 30 ahead of me, not too bad I thought, and then shuttle after shuttle arrived unloading other people. Semi trucks soon began to arrive; Machokes began unloading boxes from these trucks with shirt sizes on them, other boxes with shoe sizes and others with what I assumed where pant sizes. A loud roar of cheering erupted as the line suddenly began to move. The line never stopped moving, I entered the building were a bunch of men in lab coats where moving around. I was instructed to have my I.D. ready, up ahead a man was swiping our identification cards, I was next, he swiped my card, and green light on the computer turned on, he told me to proceed. I was handed a small cardboard box labeled "Pokedex" and the next man in a lab coat handed me one supply voucher. Before I knew it I was funneled outside of the building to the back, where the Machoke had unloaded the boxes, there where men and women in lab coats next to numbered signs, I assumed I needed to start at 1. The man at line 1 asked for my shirt size, I gave it to him; he handed me 5 sealed bags with one size medium shirt all of a different color, and told me to proceed to line 2. At line 2 I was given a large backpack and a bag with mens deodorant, a bar of soap and a toothbrush. At line 3 I was given a pair of boots and a bag of socks. At 4 I was given three pairs of pants. At 5, I was given a sweater and a rain jacket. At 6, a supply of rations, and finally at 7 the woman asked for my supply voucher; she took it from me, smiled and handed me 5 pokeballs, a bike voucher and several maps. I was instructed to change at a designated area and to be back in one hour for the orientation. I changed; I kept my current shirt on so I didn't look too much like the others. I took the time I had left to grab a bite to eat; when I got back the orientation was preparing to start. A young man was on stage, he introduced himself as Dr. Okido, and he spoke of the life of a trainer we'd soon be experiencing. He spoke for an hour or so, a lab assistant appeared on stage, with a clipboard and microphone. He began calling people's names; he called four names then paused, awaiting them to arrive on stage, each one was handed a pokeball by other assistants and where instructed to release the pokemon inside. Vulpix, Scyther, Diglett and a Meditite came from their respective pokeballs, we gave them a round of applause and the pokemon where recalled and the new trainers where instructed to exit and begin their journey. I was excited; I wanted my name to be called next, just my luck when I was called last. I rushed on stage, I was given a pokeball, amazed by how much they weighed when a pokemon was inside it, I released my new pokemon, the pokeball warmed up as it opened, almost too hot to hold. Out came an Electabuzz, it let out a powerful roar that shook the ground. I didn't recall my new pokemon like the others did, instead I asked him to walk with me. The instructors clapped for us, the audiences of trainers were all gone so this would have to do. Dr. Okido told me to head for the pokemon center to rest up, night had fallen.

Chapter 3: The Suburbs #10

I arrived in Yamabuki City on May 1st. I had traveled to Nabi, Hanada, and Kuchiba city, every one of their gyms where closed because of Team Rocket. News had circulated that all of the gyms in the Kanto region had been attacked by Team Rocket and as a result the gyms remained closed until the problem was resolved. I was greeted by a woman at the gate when I entered Yumabuki, she told me where I could find the Pokémon center but before she could finish her sentence and loud explosion echoed throughout the city. People screamed and children cried. I bolted towards the origin of the explosion; the Pokémon center had been attacked by Team Rocket, a large flaming hole in its side, debris covering bodies of people and Pokémon alike. Without hesitation I called out my Milotic to extinguish the fire. From the corner of my eye I saw a several suspicious men running carrying cylinders, I instructed Milotic to help out in any way she could. I ran towards the suspicious men leaving Milotic behind.

I followed them into an alley, and sent out my Electabuzz, "Reflect" I shouted, a magenta barrier was summoned in front of the suspicious men and before they could react they crashed into it, they dropped what they carried, which upon further investigation turned out to be Pokémon eggs in portable incubation chambers, 4 of them to be exact. The men carrying them where dressed in black jumpsuits except for one, who wore a suit. They looked at me with anger, with confidence in an attempt to intimidate them I shouted "Give up now! The police are arriving as we speak! you won't make it very fa…" before I could finish the man in the suit released a Tauros, "Giga Impact" he shouted, I closed my eyes expecting the worst, his Tauros crashed into the reflect Barrier that was still up, it shattered in a deafening explosion. My knees trembled from the power, before I could respond with an attack from my Electabuzz, He recalled his Tauros, ordered his men to leave and sent out an Electrode all in one fluid motion. He bolted in the same direction his men did yelling "Selfdstruct" I had no time to react, still staggered by the Giga impact, I was caught off guard by his Kamikaze Electrode. Electabuzz, much stronger and faster than any human, grabbed me as the explosion sent shrapnel and heat in our direction, we fell behind a dumpster, a burst of radiant heat hit me and the noxious smell of the dumpster assaulted my nostrils. "THE EGGS!"

I bolted towards where I saw them fall, one of them was destroyed completely, I nearly hurled at the sight of a scorched baby Eevee hanging lifeless from the side of its egg and incubation chamber. It was the one closest to the epicenter of the self-destructing Electrode. I recalled my Electabuzz to spare him the sight. Two of the other eggs where cracked, and one remained relatively undamaged. Authorities soon arrived, the two cracked eggs where fine, they would hatch prematurely due to the cracks, they were to be returned to their owners. The undamaged egg, dark blue in color, bared the name of its owner on the chamber; she was confirmed dead at the Pokémon Center explosion. One of the police officers, impressed by my courage thought things would be easier if I took care of it until things were sorted out. He handed it to me as my Electabuzz and I received medical attention for cuts, burns, and some small shrapnel lodged in my right thigh.

I was released from the Yamabuki Hospital the next day, outside my Milotic was waiting with a letter pinned to the scarf she wore around her neck. One of the egg owners wanted to meet me at the coffee shop. I called back my Milotic. As I attached her pokeball to my magnetized belt my Electabuzz released himself from his. Without warning he picked me up and began walking towards the coffee shop. Sparing me from the slow walk with the crutches I was restricted to from my thigh injury. I arrived at the coffee shop, thanked Electabuzz, handed him my backpack, containing the Pokémon egg and asked him to wait outside, he nodded in agreement. An older gentleman waved me over in the coffee shop. He looked haggard, with noticeable tear lines on his cheeks.

"Thank you for meeting with me. The egg you where given belonged to my daughter. We where both caught in the explosion at the pokemon center and I just wanted to meet the brave man who's Milotic saved my life. My daughter may be gone but she won't be forgotten. I needed to make sure her egg is going to be taken care of"

I remained silent as he continued

"I… I don't think it is fair that you get caught up and hurt in Kantos current problems, you've saved my life and in return I bought you a Ferry ticket so you can head towards the Johto region where it is safe from Team Rocket. I won't forgive myself if you get hurt any further"

He slipped me an envelope, dismissed himself in an attempt to spare me the sight of him crying. I sat in the coffee shop till it closed… my brain still processing all the things he said.

"Samantha… Samantha's in Johto"


End file.
